 Telfair posted with hisMinnesota Timberwolves jersey during his first stint with the team in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1985-06-09)June 9, 1985 (age 39) New York City, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Abraham Lincoln (Brooklyn, New York) |
| NBA draft | 2004: 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Playing career | 2004–2017 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 31, 30, 3, 13 |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2006 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2006–2007 | Boston Celtics |
| 2007–2009 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2010 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010–2011 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2011–2013 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2013 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2013–2014 | Tianjin Ronggang |
| 2014 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2014–2015 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| 2016–2017 | Fujian Sturgeons |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Sebastian Telfair (born June 9, 1985) is an American former professionalbasketball player. He has played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and theChinese Basketball Association. Telfair was picked thirteenth overall in the2004 NBA draft by thePortland Trail Blazers on the heels of an eminent high school career playing forAbraham Lincoln inBrooklyn. He had committed to theUniversity of Louisville during his senior year, but decided to turn professional instead.[1][2] Telfair is a cousin of former NBA playerStephon Marbury.[3]
Telfair was born inBrooklyn,New York, the son of Erica Telfair and Otis Telfair, aVietnam War veteran who served as aMarine.[4] Living in the Surfside Gardens projects in Brooklyn, he attendedAbraham Lincoln High School, where he became one of the most highly lauded and coveted high school basketball prospects in the country.[5]
Considered a five-star recruit byRivals.com, Telfair was listed as the No. 2 point guard and No. 6 player in the nation in 2004.[6] Originally, he had committed to theUniversity of Louisville and head coachRick Pitino. However, he later had a change of mind and went pro instead, a decision precipitated by a fatal shooting that occurred at the apartment complex where his family lived.
Telfair was selected by thePortland Trail Blazers with the thirteenth overall pick in the2004 NBA draft. On January 1, 2005, Telfair scored 14 points on five-for-eleven shooting, making four of fivefree throws to go with five rebounds and five assists with one turnover.[7] In February 2005, interim coachKevin Pritchard promoted Telfair to the team's starting lineup. Telfair notched 6.8 points and 3.3 assists per contest. The Blazers ultimately lost 23 of their final 28 games that season, finishing with the team's worst record since1973–74.
Under new head coachNate McMillan, Telfair began the2005–06 season as the starting point guard and was occasionally paired in the backcourt with another high school draftee taken in 2005,Martell Webster. Telfair improved upon his2004–05 numbers; though his production was still seen[by whom?] by multiple commentators as being somewhat below par for an NBA starting point guard. As a result, Telfair experienced increasing pressure from various local media. In December 2005, Telfair suffered a thumb injury and was replaced in the starting lineup bySteve Blake, who went on to have fewer turnovers and more assists. Telfair returned to the court on January 9, 2006, after having missed twelve games. Blake continued as the starting point guard with Telfair coming off the bench. Although the Trail Blazers had already been eliminated fromplayoff contention that season, Telfair scored the game-winning basket against theHouston Rockets on April 5, 2006.
On June 28, 2006, the Trail Blazers traded Telfair, along with centerTheo Ratliff and a 2008 second-round pick, to theBoston Celtics for guardDan Dickau, center–forwardRaef LaFrentz, and the 7th overall pick in the2006 NBA draft,Randy Foye, who was traded to theMinnesota Timberwolves for the 6th overall pick,Brandon Roy. Telfair wore number 30, as his traditional number 31 was retired by the Celtics.
On April 24, 2007, Celtics managing partnerWyc Grousbeck announced that Telfair'snameplate on his Celtics locker had been removed and did not expect him back for the2007–08 season.[8][9]
On July 31, 2007, the Celtics traded Telfair, along withAl Jefferson,Gerald Green,Ryan Gomes,Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks, to theMinnesota Timberwolves forKevin Garnett.[10] He was given the # 3 jersey while with Minnesota, the same number that his cousin,Stephon Marbury wore while playing for that team.
In the 2007–08 season, Telfair had his best season as a pro, averaging 9.3 points and 5.9 assists per game. Telfair also had a stretch of five games in which he had 40 assists and only four turnovers. He wore number 3 for the Timberwolves because the number 31 had been taken by shooting guardRicky Davis.
On July 22, 2008, the Minnesota Timberwolves re-signed Telfair to a three-year contract. Because the Timberwolves fired head coachRandy Wittman and replaced him with interim coachKevin McHale, Telfair played for his sixth coach on his third NBA team in his fifth NBA season. He played in 75 games including 43 starts.
On July 20, 2009, Telfair was traded to theLos Angeles Clippers along withCraig Smith andMark Madsen in exchange forQuentin Richardson.[11]
On February 17, 2010, Telfair was traded from theLos Angeles Clippers to theCleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sentAntawn Jamison from theWashington Wizards to Cleveland,Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a2010 first-round pick (which becameLazar Hayward) and the rights toEmir Preldžić from Cleveland to Washington,Drew Gooden from Washington to Los Angeles, andAl Thornton from Los Angeles to Washington.[12]
On July 26, 2010, Telfair was traded back to theMinnesota Timberwolves, along withDelonte West, forRamon Sessions andRyan Hollins.[13]
Right after the2011 NBA lockout ended, Telfair signed with thePhoenix Suns on December 9, 2011.[14] His contract had him initially staying for one year, but he received a team option to play for a second season in Phoenix. Telfair started for the Suns in a 91–87 victory against theLos Angeles Clippers. Telfair would score a season high 21 points in a 105–91 loss to theSan Antonio Spurs. During the month of April in the shortened season, Telfair averaged an impressive 10.9 points and 3.6 assists on a .522 shooting percentage. In other months, he had averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 assists on a .358 shooting percentage.[15]
On February 21, 2013, Telfair was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange forHamed Haddadi and a second-round draft pick.[16] He became a free agent in the summer of 2013.
In October 2013, Telfair signed a one-year deal with theTianjin Ronggang of theChinese Basketball Association.[17]
On July 15, 2014, Telfair signed with theOklahoma City Thunder.[18] On November 26, 2014, Telfair scored five points against theUtah Jazz.[19] He was waived by the Thunder that same day.[20]
On December 2, 2014, Telfair signed with theXinjiang Flying Tigers for the rest of the 2014–15 CBA season.[21]
On November 18, 2016, Telfair signed with theFuijan Sturgeons.[22]
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On October 16, 2006, Telfair had a chain, valued at $50,000, snatched from his possession outsideSean "Diddy" Combs's restaurant, Justin's. As it happened, rapperFabolous was shot outside the same club shortly afterward.[23] The following night, Telfair left a pre-season basketball game against theNew York Knicks atMadison Square Garden to observe a police lineup, but he did not identify any of the potential suspects.[24]
Telfair and a friend, Al Eden Fuentes,[25] were arrested early on April 20, 2007, and charged with felony possession of a weapon.[26] The arrest was preceded by a traffic stop prompted when Telfair was spotted driving his 2006 Range Rover at 77 mph (124 km/h) on theBronx River Parkway, a 45 mph (72 km/h) zone. Telfair was driving with a suspended Florida license. Furthermore, when police searched Telfair's vehicle, they uncovered a loaded .45 caliber handgun under the passenger's seat. Both Telfair and Eden claimed to not have any knowledge of the firearm. The police were unable to determine the registration status of the handgun.[25]
In September 2008, Telfair pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon and received three years' probation. In October 2008, the NBA handed him a three-game suspension following the guilty plea.[27]
On June 11, 2017, Telfair and another man were arrested on weapons and marijuana-related charges during a traffic stop in Brooklyn. Police pulled them over for driving without headlights on and illegally parking. Inside the vehicle, officers spotted a litjoint, and a subsequent search yielded three loaded handguns, a semiautomatic rifle, a ballistics vest, and several bags of marijuana that were among suitcases, clothing, shoes, and furniture parts.[28] Sebastian was in New York at the time for what was supposed to have been only a matter of hours, being in between a move of residence, and for the opening of basketball courts at theConey Island projects where he was raised. In April 2019, following a two-week trial, Telfair was found guilty of felonious weapons possession.[29] On August 12, 2019, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the offense.[30] His conviction was overturned by theNew York Court of Appeals on November 21, 2023.[31]
Reported by ESPN from an October 7, 2021 indictment, eighteen former NBA players, including Telfair,Jamario Moon,Glen Davis,Tony Allen andDarius Miles, were arrested on charges alleging they defrauded the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million. According to the indictment, the former players engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental expenses that were never actually incurred.[32][33]
Telfair pleaded guilty to charges of fraud on March 16, 2023.[34] He was sentenced to three years probation.[35]
Telfair is the subject of the book,The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High-Stakes Business of High School Ball (ISBN 1594864470), by Ian O'Connor as well as a documentary film by Jonathan Hock,Through the Fire; the latter follows Telfair through his final year in high school and accounts his decision to choose the NBA over college. Telfair is the cousin ofStephon Marbury, a former NBA andCBA star, and the half-brother of former NBA playerJamel Thomas. Attending Lincoln High School in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, Telfair was the school's all-time leading scorer untilLance Stephenson broke his record in 2009. Telfair was also namedNew York State Mr. Basketball following his outstanding senior season at Lincoln. His younger brother Ethan Telfair, who likewise featured in the documentary film, played basketball atIdaho State.[36][37]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Portland | 68 | 26 | 19.6 | .393 | .246 | .789 | 1.5 | 3.3 | .5 | .1 | 6.8 |
| 2005–06 | Portland | 68 | 30 | 24.1 | .394 | .352 | .743 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 2006–07 | Boston | 78 | 30 | 20.2 | .371 | .289 | .818 | 1.4 | 2.8 | .6 | .1 | 6.1 |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota | 60 | 51 | 32.2 | .401 | .281 | .743 | 2.3 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.3 |
| 2008–09 | Minnesota | 75 | 43 | 27.9 | .383 | .346 | .819 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.8 |
| 2009–10 | L.A. Clippers | 39 | 1 | 14.9 | .404 | .234 | .774 | 1.1 | 2.9 | .6 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2009–10 | Cleveland | 4 | 0 | 19.3 | .457 | .222 | .833 | 1.0 | 3.0 | .5 | .0 | 9.8 |
| 2010–11 | Minnesota | 37 | 8 | 19.2 | .402 | .359 | .733 | 1.5 | 3.0 | .7 | .1 | 7.2 |
| 2011–12 | Phoenix | 60 | 1 | 14.9 | .412 | .314 | .791 | 1.5 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 6.1 |
| 2012–13 | Phoenix | 46 | 2 | 17.3 | .381 | .381 | .772 | 1.5 | 2.5 | .6 | .2 | 6.0 |
| 2012–13 | Toronto | 13 | 0 | 14.2 | .290 | .270 | .833 | 1.2 | 3.0 | .7 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2014–15 | Oklahoma City | 16 | 1 | 20.4 | .368 | .300 | .706 | 1.9 | 2.8 | .6 | .0 | 8.4 |
| Career | 564 | 193 | 21.5 | .390 | .319 | .777 | 1.6 | 3.5 | .7 | .1 | 7.4 | |